Lamont Simmons, 6-2, 185-pound Raines (Jacksonville, Fla.) cornerback,
was one of three prospects to recently de-commit from the Rutgers program in a
24-hour span. NJ.com has not been in contact with Simmons beyond his confirmation of
his de-commitment via text message. However,
let's take a look at a few factors of his recruitment and pick out a few things
that may have played into his decision to reverse his pledge. Again, this is pure speculation.

I, for one, believe Simmons' Rutgers de-commitment was an isolated incident. Simmons revealed to me that Kamren Lott and Jacob Kraut – both of whose teams he plays against annually – are the only Rutgers commits he has been in contact with. And Both Lott and Kraut appear as solid to Rutgers as they come. But I have highlighted a few recruiting factors that stand out as possible deterrents.

Official visit cut short

Simmons – who committed to Rutgers before ever even visiting
campus – wasn't able to get to Rutgers until the Saturday of his official visit
weekend, due to having a game the night before. Therefore, he missed the trip to New
York City with commit Jacob Kraut – also from Jacksonville – and any other potential
recruits who may have been down that weekend. Simmons ended up taking the trip to
New York City on Sunday, but by that time any other recruits had already gone
home.

So he didn't get the full Rutgers experience during his trip to the banks. Not to mention, being that he is from Florida, the two days he spent on the Rutgers campus was likely the only time he would have been afforded to explore up until his would-be arrival time next summer.

Rutgers' 49-14 loss to Houston

It certainly didn't help things that the day Simmons arrived
on campus after missing out on the Friday night New York City experience that
Rutgers was handled by the Houston Cougars, 49-14.

"I was a little disappointed. But I
understand it's football and you win some and you lose some," Simmons said
following the game.

Simmons
reiterated those feelings to head coach Kyle Flood when asked about the end
result of the contest.

"He
asked my opinion on it," said Simmons. "He asked if their loss
affected how I feel about Rutgers."

And
what was his response?

"I
told him it kind of disappointed me but I still like the school, and still feel
we can win a championship there," he said.

But
what if that wasn't necessarily the case?

Simmons' desire to
take five official visits

Simmons expressed to NJ.com both the day he committed to
Rutgers and the day following the conclusion of his official visit that he
intended to still take official visits; a common theme in the de-commitments of
four of the five players to part ways with the Rutgers program within the
current recruiting cycle.

"I'm gonna take all five of my official visits. I'm not sure
yet but I know I'll probably take one to Arkansas," Simmons said following his
Rutgers official visits the weekend of Oct. 26.

In speaking to Simmons on both occasions, I did not get the
impression that he was aware that his official visits elsewhere could cause an
issue for his Rutgers recruitment.

Could there be a reconciliation?

It's possible.

According to a source, there is no bad blood between the two parties, and Simmons still has a high interest level in the school. He just feels he committed too early and wants to explore all of his opportunities before making a more informed decision.There is a good chance the Rutgers staff will continue to recruit Simmons, and Simmons will reciprocate the attention.

Stick with NJ.com as we get to the root of the recent Rutgers
de-commitment epidemic.